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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Book Review: "Gate House" by Nelson DeMille

This novel takes place in the Gold Coast of Long Island, among a privileged class of people who, as far as my world is concerned, might as well be from Mars. The main character is recently returned from a ten year self-imposed exile in England after his now-ex-wife murdered a Mafia don with whom she was having an affair. He resumes a relationship with said ex-wife and they decide to remarry, to the delight of everyone in the town except for her parents (who are worth one hundred million dollars and who threaten to disinherit her and her children if she persists in resurrecting her relationship with her ex-husband). She moves through the community with impunity despite her sordid past (because she's a member of the elite group of richer-than-Croesus residents) while her ex-husband is looked at with suspicion by everyone.

The Mafiosi are delightfully Neanderthal. The main character is kind of charmingly clueless. The ex-wife is sexy and crafty. Her parents are hateful and evil. Interestingly, some of the old residents have surprising strength of character, setting them apart from most of the stereotypical characters who occupy center stage.

It was generally a fun way to spend a couple of afternoons. However, I did not like the narrator's voice at all. It was sarcastic and intrusive to the story, which would have been a lot more enjoyable without the narrator inserting himself to that degree.